A man who claimed he could not afford medical care for his dog has been charged with illegally operating on the pet. Alan MacQuattie, from Barrington, in the north-eastern state of Rhode Island, removed a cyst from the leg of his 14-year-old yellow labrador-mix .But professional veterinarians had to operate again after an infection developed following the first surgery.

E.J. Finocchio, a veterinarian and president of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, called the surgery a “heinous crime”.Court records show that Mr MacQuattie pleaded no contest last week to misdemeanour charges of animal cruelty and unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine.But he told television station WPRI, which first reported on the surgery, that he did not think there was anything cruel about what he had done.